Chapter 724: The Eve
Chapter 724: The Eve
Professor Mcgonagall took a while to appear. She wasn’t surprised by Felix’s occasional antics, and they had already discussed the possibility of integrating Felix’s magic into the school, though they hadn’t managed to convince the Sorting Hat at the time. So, she first calmed down the shocked students and staff before returning to the Headmaster’s office.
Felix was still sitting on the sofa, seemingly in the same position, except for the book on Runic Scripts that he was reading with great interest.
Professor Mcgonagall looked at him critically and asked, "Did you find it useful?"
"Yes", Felix smiled, "it broadened my horizons and gave me a lot of new insights. Although I didn’t get to speak with the four founders, it felt like I had traveled with them." He paused, looking slightly embarrassed, "Minerva, there’s something you should know..."
"You took a third of the school’s magic?" Professor Mcgonagall exclaimed. Felix nodded obediently, confirming she hadn’t misunderstood. After several confirmations, Professor Mcgonagall reluctantly accepted the reality. She asked calmly, "Will it affect the school?"
"A little, but it won’t interfere with the school’s daily magical operations. Hmm, I think—the suits of armor and statues will be dormant for a while, sorry to ruin your Christmas plans..."
Professor Mcgonagall’s sharp gaze swept over him, but her voice was stammering, "You knew?"
"The ‘Stone Dance Troupe’ is a fitting name for the spell that controls them."
Professor Mcgonagall looked at him expressionlessly, her lips tightly pursed. The constant flexing and relaxing of her fingers indicated that she was far from calm, as if she might lunge at him and strangle him at any moment.
Felix quickly added:
"...It wasn’t intentional. When I put the Sorting Hat back, I happened to glance at the pile of documents on the table. I’m sure anyone would be drawn to the comic strips that stood out among them..." He then smiled warmly, "Minerva, I didn’t know you could draw. If I were to comment, I’d say they are very lifelike."
Professor Mcgonagall opened her mouth but decided not to pursue the topic. She collected herself and asked, "You need more magic? Is the current amount not enough?" As she spoke, she glanced at Felix’s book on Runic Scripts. The thin pages were filled with pulsating violet and ice-blue magic, and a miniature Salazar Slytherin was happily swimming around, its silver translucent body floating and sinking in the pages.
"If it’s just for a prepared battle, it’s barely enough, but I want to do something else", Felix said, resting his chin in his hand, "I’m not sure if it will work, after all, I can’t really commit mass murder."
"Do something else? What—"
"We’ve drawn so many grand plans, we should at least achieve one. It’s also a way to show the world that wizards always have a fallback, and the things they value are far less important than they think."
"You mean?" Professor Mcgonagall asked softly.
"Land."
They were silent for nearly a minute. Phineas Black’s portrait, stroking his goatee, said, "I get it, you want to be a hero."
"Any suggestions?" Felix asked politely.
"No great suggestions, but plenty of bad ones", the black portrait said sarcastically, "Skipping the part where I prove you’re a fool, I’ll get straight to the point—" He suddenly grabbed the frame and shouted, "Boy, you can’t do this! You’re the most famous wizard since Salazar Slytherin!"
"Speaking of great wizards, Tom Riddle—"
"Tell him to get lost!"
"And Merlin—"
"To hell with Merlin!" the black portrait said roughly, "That’s a job for Gryffindor, not you. We’re brave, but not foolish, understand? There’s no need to stick your neck out alone. At least drag a group of people with you, like those reckless Gryffindors and dim-witted Hufflepuffs..."
These words immediately drew protests from several other house heads. Felix felt deeply concerned. If he ever ended up on the wall, he would naturally be on the same side as Headmaster Black. The thought of this terrifying scenario made him quickly say, "No one knows the founders' intentions better than I do. I just talked to the Sorting Hat, remember?"
The portraits of the headmasters stopped and stared at him intently.
"Is the house system useful? Yes, it helps us find companions and discover noble qualities within us—qualities that can be called noble come in many forms. Some succeed, some don't. And by the time seven years of study are over, we will face a far more complex environment than the school."
"Don't forget, people change. Think about how many seven-year periods there are in a lifetime—would the Sorting Hat place you in the same house if you had the chance to wear it again at the age of one hundred? Of course, for me, it doesn't matter much anymore."
The portraits looked at Dumbledore. If anyone had the experience of being sorted again after a hundred years, it had to be Dumbledore.
"Indeed, it doesn't matter much", Dumbledore said from his portrait, "when we're young, we have endless possibilities and might aspire to be like Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, or Godric Gryffindor. But when we grow old, we become who we are."
The circular office fell silent for a moment. Professor Mcgonagall sniffed, "Well, well, I'll give you time to debate, Albus. There are things you should have told me when you were alive..."
She recomposed herself and said seriously to Felix, "We need to prepare as much as possible, with all our might. We don't have much time, and I believe you need time to digest this..." She walked briskly to her desk and pulled out an album from a drawer.
Felix looked at her in surprise.
"Don't you need magic?" Professor Mcgonagall explained as she flipped through the pages, "What better place than other world-renowned magic schools? Thanks to this album, I have a good understanding of other schools. I happen to know that some of their defensive measures are similar to Hogwarts, like Beauxbatons..."
Professor Mcgonagall looked up and saw Felix standing there, stunned. "What's wrong?" Felix joked, "Minerva, I really want to kiss you." Professor Mcgonagall blushed and glared at him.
...
In mid-December, Hogwarts School was blanketed by several snowfalls, and the Black Lake was covered with a thick layer of ice. Some students trudged through the snow on the grounds, heading to their Care of Magical Creatures class. They could see Hepprofessor's small cabin by the lake from a distance.
There were many speculations among the students, but none had been confirmed. The professors also kept quiet about it. The most widespread rumor was that Hepprofessor was working hard to formulate a strategy for the upcoming exercise—yes, no one knew where the term 'exercise' came from, but people referred to the visible conflict as such.
"It's just a cover", a boy said solemnly, "my dad wrote to me, saying that anyone with a brain should support Hepprofessor, the International Confederation of Wizards, and the International Pan-Magical Union—"
"So you left a bouquet of flowers at the professor's door?" another student teased, "Not only did you get detention, but you also got a head full of bumps from a Niffler?"
The boy's face turned red, "I left a card! A card!"
The students around him laughed, but when they looked at the small cabin by the Black Lake, they all had a look of awe. However, this awe didn't last long as a round, fluffy black Niffler charged at the students, waving a glowing little stick and making strange noises.
"Run!" a student shouted, taking off at a sprint. The remaining students quickly followed. But some stayed behind, mostly girls, their faces alight with eager anticipation.
Walen’s bright black eyes sparkled with excitement. The Dark Lord had been busy with official business all week, leaving no time for card games. Only Harry, Hermione, and Ron made a special effort to visit, along with Luna, though even Walen wasn’t sure if she had simply gotten lost. Boredom had been the order of the day, but Walen had found a new pastime to keep himself occupied.
Walen, draped in a finely crafted cloak, stood on a large rock by the lake and waved his wand with a dramatic flourish. Instantly, the snow churned and a group of sparkling white Nifflers emerged, rushing forward behind Walen. The students who had stayed behind were already braced for battle, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Soon, the two sides clashed, snowballs flying, and laughter and shouts filled the air.
After about ten minutes, the towering figure of Hagrid appeared at the door of his hut, shouting at them.
The battle was forced to a halt. Both sides put on airs of victory, agreeing to another rematch another day. Walen marched off with a proud and determined stride toward the Black Lake. As he walked, he suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground.
Walen turned to see Hermione tiptoeing closer, a smile on her face.
"Come on, let’s go to class. Professor Slughorn has been missing you."
"Maybe it’s because he found out that a Niffler’s pockets are fuller of snacks than his own", Ron muttered from the side. Harry grinned. "But we have to admit, Professor Slughorn always finds the right excuse—what’s it this time?" he asked Hermione.
"Oh, I heard he found two hibernating dormice in a flower pot", Hermione replied with a chuckle.
"Really? Does Walen want to recruit them?" Harry asked, surprised. Walen bared his teeth and waved his paws at him.
They walked toward the castle, occasionally pausing to look at the small hut by the Black Lake, hidden by the wind and snow. At the castle entrance, Harry suddenly said, "I’m planning to follow Mr. Doge’s advice."
"What?" Ron asked.
"A graduation trip."
"Oh, you mean that. I’m not sure... a few months should be fine, but... Hermione, what about you?"
Hermione shook her head.
"I’ll probably join the Ministry of Magic right after graduation. Madame Bones said they’re short on people who understand both sides. My plan is to work at the Ministry for a few years and then look for an opportunity to go abroad and explore. The Charter of the Confederation and Union mentions several departments still in the planning stages. I think being an observer for the Pan-Magical Union would suit me well..."
Ron stroked his chin.
"So one of you goes abroad first and then comes back, and the other is always ready to go abroad."
"Exactly", Harry said.
No one mentioned the possibility of something going wrong; they seemed confident about the future. They entered the castle and glanced into the Great Hall as they passed, where the Incendio fire burned to keep everyone warm, and twelve Christmas trees stood tall and straight. Harry looked at the empty tables, knowing they would soon be filled with plump roasted turkeys, mountains of roasted meat and boiled potatoes, delicious sausages, buttered peas, thick gravy, and cranberry sauce...
Of course, there would also be Christmas crackers. Harry recalled the last Christmas dinner:
He and Ron had drawn sailor hats, which were far less impressive than the tiger-skin and parrot hats they had brought themselves. Then he thought of the two people who wouldn’t be there this year: Dumbledore, wearing antlers and smiling as he encouraged everyone to eat more, and Grindelwald, who had drawn a red Christmas hat, still pretending to be Professor Bashir...
...
Felix lay on a simple bed, in a state of half-sleep, half-wake, gazing at the book of Runic Script held aloft by a soft violet and ice-blue glow. A Slytherin serpent swam through the pages—
It was his Patronus, his new Patronus.
(End of Chapter)
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